Incinerator with combustion air feeding means for underground use



E. W. EDWARDS INCINERATOR WITH COMBUSTION AIR FEEDING MEANS FOR UNDERGROUND USES Filed April 20, 1945 June 29, 1948.

IN VEN TOR.

Earl WEda/afids 1 Patented June 29 1948 INCINEBATOR .WITH COMBUSTION AIR E I QW W B- N ERG UN ear! terrace e e M deaa i errteeqeeg' 1945., ee! N 58 This 1 invention relates to an incineratoniparticula yto a" type of incinerator that is adapted for'househo'id-use.

*lf-ricirie; ators ior -this purpose are: usually; constructed of clemefrt or concrete and; stand :ini an upright position, "the charge being= su15ported on a gfatefbelow which a draftinlt is located sc that the air for combustion pass-es up through therenti-i'emass of the charge. Such incinerators usually in'clud'' a short stacktoincreasethefdraft through the body of t-he burning charge.

amount or draft induce d b ythe-stack, however;

isrelatively aul Furthermore; the resistance o'fthe mass ofthe burning charge is "considerable,

and the'result is usually that in" the mieration of.

mbstmcmeratbre or true type; the combustion is incomplete and is not complete'd in theista'ckl Hence, such incinerators smoke considerably, and sometime they become a nuisance onthis account': 'Oneof the objects oi this invention isto -provide an incinerator having "ac onstru'ctiomwhich will over-come these disadvantages, and in which ampleflow of air for combustion is induced, and

at the same time providing a construction'ithat will cause the massbf refuse to 'bl irh'on its outer surface, and so that the air iorcombustion passes directly overfthe surfacethat is'ignitedj in th'is I'-'a;void"the considerable resistance to the -fiow of theai'r that is inherent in'the'operationof an'utirig-ht incinerator wherethe air passes up through the entire massof the charge. The upright type of' ihcineratorreferred to above is unsightly arid takes up considerable spa-ce above the ground. I On 'thisaccount it is 11stally located inc'onspicuously in" the backyardor in the servicyard back of theinain portion of the yard,- and usually its owner endeavors to screen it from view by-a trellis, lattice work, or in some otherway." One of the objects of this invention istoprovideani' incinerator, thenbodyof which? isisubstantially concealed in the ground,:that:is to say, the may is below the ground level {also to provide: means whereby "the stack. or .stackstrior the F gases of c'QmbustiOn' may be" remove'd'="when the incinerator :isnot burning "refuse, thereby: en-

abling the presence .of the :incinerator "to she 2 body of'the incineratorin whi h the refuse-is consumed.

Anotherobject of the invention is to provide construction for the cover 'portionof the incinerator. that williiacilitate the: placingofthe charge of refuse in the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide an incinerator of this type with a movable lid having an improved hinge construction, particularly-adapted for supporting a. lid on a concrete or cement body.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention-resides in-my novel method of burning the charge and also consists in thenovel part 'and combinations. ofparts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to producean efiicient incinerator.

--A preferred embodimentof the invention is described in the following specification, whilethe broad scopeiof the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

*In the drawing:

Figure 1- is a perspective of an incineratorem bodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken through the incinerator. i1-lustrated in Figure 1,. passingon its longitudinalaxis, T and up through the axes of the stacks that are represented brohenaway.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view, andia vertical section illustrating the manner in which amen net employed withthe chimney or-stackof the device is made tofexcl'ude water. from the smoke outlet when the. stack has been removed. This view shows a, short portion of. a cover plate of the incinerator. and shows I thelbonnet in. cross-secnon. Figur 4. is a vertical section and isalso a freementaryview taken aboutlon the line 4 -4- of Figural. .This "View particularly illustrates the construction .of the .hinge ,j oint I employ for mountiii g the lid or. movablecovercportion of the qvh t i i F gu e. 5 is a o a i ee e a v v w n i a vertical cross sectiqn taigenon the line 5 -5 of Figure er t e v i etret e an ai u t a lsociatedwith the lidormjain coverp ortirm.

e the fr em nta vie an i a v t l i eetio taken in v r i a Plhil m h t stop-arm for holding the lid open, hutillustrating the lid when in its open position. ierr e'mo part cu a l 9 he: P3 2 2 d cat he in n a o o which refe a o her: te mn nt acte o firem n? e creteth body i el e ate enza s b tantially 3 horizontal axis, and is preferably substantially buried in the ground so that practically all of the body except its cover portion 2 is located below the ground level 3.

The incinerator illustrated is of a duplex type, that is to say, it presents a construction which enables the charge to burn in two zones'of combustion arranged so that the gases of combustion or smoke passing from the incinerator body will rise through two stacks or chimneys 4 located toward the ends of the body. These stacks are supported on two end slabs 5 preferably of concrete that form the two end portions of the cover wall 2, and each of these slabs carries a smoke outlet 6 over which one of the two stacks 4 are mounted.

In order to center the stacks and hold them in position, I prefer to provide a small flange I that extends upwardly around each of the openings 6, and each stack has a bell-mouth 8 at its lower end where the diameter of the stack is enlarged to enable it to fit closely over the flange,- substantially as shown. This flange 1 may be made as long as desired so that a good joint connection is made for the foot of the stack that will prevent its being dislodged, or blown over by the wind.

In order to assist in holding the slabs 5 in position after they are set in place, I prefer to provide each of them with a transverse rib 9 that extends all the way across between the side walls, and projects downwardly so as to form a shoulder abutting against the inner face of the end wall.

Between the two slabs 5 I provide a middle section or lid l0 which is adapted to be lifted or swung up in order to facilitate placing refuse in the fire pot. While this lid I0 can be constructed of cement or concrete, if it is desired to make it of light weight, I construct it of sheet metal pressed in dies to give it substantially the form illustrated in Figure 2. Its side edges rest on the upper edges of the side walls of the fire pot.

In order to form a Waterproof joint between the ends of the lid Ill and the adjacent edges of the slabs 5, I prefer to form the ends of the lid ID with upwardly offset flanges H, the outer ends of which terminate in downwardly projecting tongues I2, and these tongues are received in shallow gutters or grooves 13 that extend allthe way across the slabs 5, so that their ends are open. In this way perfect drainage is attained regardless of whether either the front or rear wall of the incinerator is slightly elevated with respect to the other.

' At an intermediate point between the stacks 4 and preferably at about the middle of the lid I0,

I provide means for admitting atmospheric air to support the combustion of the charge or burning refuse within the incinerator. For this purpose I provide an opening or air inlet M in the cover 10 (see Figure 2) at the edge of which the material of the lid is projecting upwardly to form a low flange or coaming I5. This coaming excoaming l5 so as to leave an effective inlet opening I! of considerable area. This bafll plate [6 is held in a fixed position, being attached rigidly to an upwardly off-set tongue l8 that is integral with the body portion 19 of a metal strap. This strap is welded or riveted to the upper face of the lid l0, and its outer end adjacent the hinged edge of the lid is formed with an upright tongue 20, the purpose of which is to enable the strap to hold the lid H] in an open position as indicated in Figure 6. For this purpose the outer end of the tongue 20 is preferably formed with an ofiset tip, or foot 21a, to rest upon the ground. If desired this tongue may be formed so as to engage the side of the incinerator to hold the lid upright, and in a position of equilibrium.

The lid I0 is preferably provided with a pair of hinge connections 22 which are also preferably constructed of strap metal. Each hing connection includes a strap metal body welded or riveted to the upper side of the lid l0, and the outer end of each of these bodies 23 is bent around to form an open pintle of substantially cylindrical form. This pintle lies in a half round socket 25 formed in the upper edge of the wall of the body opposite thehinge member 22. In order to enable the pintle to be of substantial size, the upper edge of the body at the point where the hinges are placed, is preferably formed with an outwardly projecting abutment 26 in which the half round socket 25 is formed. The advantage of this type of hinge is that it does not necessitate attaching any metal part to the cement wall to act as a support for the movable hinge member. It is merely necessary to provide the abutments with the half round, or cylindrical, sockets 25 in their upper faces.

In Figure 2, 21 indicates the charge of refuse. The upper surface 28 of this charge should be a sufilcient distance below the cover 2 to insure ample area for enabling combustion air passing in at the inlet M to find its way to the stacks 4, which operate as uptakes to develop a draft through the action of gases within the stacks,

In operating the incinerator, after it has been charged, the lid should be lifted by means of the handle Illa and the refuse at the upper surface 28, and preferably below the end portions of the lid [0, should be ignited with a match or other means. In other words, the ignition would take place at some point such as the points 29 between the air inlet l4 and the stacks. As the burning of the charge progresses the stacks 4 will become heated and assist in maintaining considerable temperature in the gases of combustion that are passing up through the stacks. This will induce a considerable draft and low pressure in the zones of combustion in thevicinity of the points 29, or thereabout, so that a considerable;

quantity of air will pass in through the air inlet I4. This air supply is more than sufficient for effecting complete combustion of the burning material, largely by reason of the fact'that the material burning does not consist of a large mass of material through which the air must pass, but is merely a mass of material, the surface of which is burning. For this reason there is an excess amount of air for combustion and hence this incinerator will develop Very little or no smoke when in operation.

Furthermore, I believe that the incinerator will operate more efficiently if the underside of the lid [0 is provided with air ducts 30 leading from the air inlet [4 in a single pass to a point below the slabs 5. These ducts are in the form of channels the flanges of which are welded or riveted to the underside of the lid 10, and they are open at their ends. And the bottoms, that is, the walls of these ducts toward the refuse, are provided with a series of perforations 3!. Of course there is always a considerable flow of air in the ducts 39, and this air tends to become heated by the walls of the ducts. By reason of the velocity of this air current flowing outwardly through these ducts, a considerable amount of air and smoke is entrained in an upward direction where the duct delivers into the stack and a slight amount may be entrained through the perforations 3|. This tends to reduce the pressure in the spaces at about the points 32 just above the upper surface of the charge and below the ducts 30. In this way passage of incoming air downwardly under the inlet I4 is induced, and down to a level below the ducts 30 and adjacent to the burning surface of the mass of the charge. However, the ducts function satisfactorily if not provided with perforations.

If desired the stacks 4 may be provided with air inlets 33 located at any desired level for admitting additional air for promoting combustion. In this way complete combustion of gaseous material carried in the smoke is assured. Near the upper end of each stack 4, a wire screen, not illustrated, would be provided to conform with city fire ordinances.

When the stacks 4 are in place their upper ends are covered by umbrellas or bonnets 34. These bonnets are of substantially conical form and provided on their inner sides with a plurality of spring-fingers 35 (see Figure 3) that extends downwardly. When the incinerator is not in use, the stacks 4 can be removed if desired and at this time the bonnets 34 are applied at the smoke outlets 6. For this purpose each finger 35 has an oiT-set portion 36 formed between two shoulders 31 and 38, the latter of which is formed at an arc-shaped tip 39 to facilitate inserting and pulling the fingers out of the stacks or out of the opening 6 in which they would be set when the stacks have been removed. These bonnets effectively prevent any rain water from passing down. The flanges I, of course, prevent any drain water flowing across the upper sides of the slabs 5 from descending through these openings.

Many other embodiments of this invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an incinerator, the combination of a body having a chamber open on its upper side, elongated along a substantially horizontal axis, to receive the charge of refuse to be burned, a substantially fiat cover wall closing the upper side of said body adapted to form a substantially level surface on its upper side substantially flush with the ground level, said wallincluding end portions closing the upper side of said body at the ends thereof, and each of said end portions having an outlet therein for smoke, said cover wall also including a lid extending over said body between said end portions of the cover; said lid having an air-inlet at a point substantially midway between said outlets; air-ducts located at the under side of the lid extending in a substantially straight line from a point near the said air-inlet to points adjacent the said smoke outlets, respectively, operating to supply heated air to the lower end of the stacks to increase the combustion, and draft up the stacks; said increased draft operating to induce an increased inflow of air for combustion at said air-inlet.

2. In an incinerator, the combination of a body adapted to be buried in the ground, having a chamber open on its upper side, and elongated along a substantially horizontal axis, to receive the charge of refuse to be burned; a substantially flat cover wall closing the upper side of said body, adapted to form a substantially level surface on its upper side substantially flush with the ground level, said cover wall including end portions closing the upper side of said body at the ends thereof, and each of said end portions having an outlet therein for smoke, said cover wall also including a lid extending over said body between said end portions of the cover and adapted to be raised to enable refuse to be charged into the said body; said lid having an air-inlet located at a point substantially midway between said outlets operating to admit the air for combustion just below the level of the lid and above the level of the charge to be burned, stacks mounted respectively over said smoke outlets operating to induce a draft to draw the air for combustion through the said air inlet, and air-ducts attached to the under side of the lid, said air-ducts extending from a point near the said air-inlet to points adjacent the said smoke outlets, respectively, and operating to supply heated air to the lower end of the stack and increase the draft in the stack, said increased draft operating to induce an increased inflow of air for combustion at said air-inlet.

EARL W. EDWARDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 18,622 Jones Oct. 16, 1932 248,059 Rumble Oct. 11, 1881 285,034 Heysinger Sept. 18, 1883 311,802 Bennett Feb. 3, 1885 678,863 Cox July 23, 1901 965,305 Krschen July 26, 1910 1,476,490 Christensen Dec. 4, 1923 1,634,996 Kener July 5, 1927 1,643,206 Epstein Sept. 20, 1927 1,769,003 Strube July 1, 1930 1,778,919 Spector Oct. 21, 1930 1,972,429 Shaughnessy Sept. 4, 1934 2,010,460 McKinley Aug. 6, 1935 2,146,531 Craigie Feb. 7, 1939 2,208,488 Anderson July 16, 1940 2,291,790 Burton Aug. 4, 1942 2,332,591 Nicol Oct. 26, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 211,595 Switzerland Dec. 16, 1940 261,119 Great Britain Aug. 24, 19W" 

